Insomnia prevalent in patients with asthma

A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh has found that insomnia is highly prevalent in adults with asthma and is also associated with worse asthma control, depression and anxiety symptoms and other quality of life and health issues. The study results are published in the current issue of the journal CHEST.

Patients with asthma commonly report difficulty with sleep; however, the prevalence of insomnia and its relationship with asthma burden and quality of life is unknown. Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition in the lungs in which the airways become swollen or inflamed, causing difficulty in breathing from spasms in the muscles surrounding the airways as they try to keep the passageways open. The impact of insomnia on asthma control and asthma-related healthcare utilization has not previously been examined.

The research reports that:

Clinically significant insomnia was present in 37 percent of the participants with asthma.

Those with insomnia had a higher BMI, worse lung function and lower annual household income than those without insomnia.

Compared with those without insomnia, the study found participants with insomnia reported more frequent asthma-related healthcare use in the past 12 months.

Participants with insomnia had worse asthma control and asthma-specific quality of life and higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. These results suggest that adults with asthma who have insomnia disorder may be at increased risk for adverse outcomes.

The research shows that there is a significant impact of insomnia on asthma disease burden and well-being and states that evaluation and treatment of insomnia should be considered among patients with asthma. "Our results show that poor sleep may not be solely due to nighttime awakenings due to asthma symptoms but may represent comorbid insomnia," said lead author Faith Luyster, PhD, "and that comorbid insomnia can significantly impact asthma outcomes including quality of life and healthcare utilization."

While it was determined that insomnia is highly prevalent in those with asthma and is associated with adverse outcomes, further studies are needed to better understand the relationship between insomnia and asthma control. Prospective and interventional studies, such as implementing cognitive-behavioral treatment for insomnia, are recommended moving forward.

The complete report on this research can be found in the journal CHEST.

-end-

About CHEST

The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is the global leader in advancing best patient outcomes through innovative chest medicine education, clinical research and team-based care. Its mission is to champion the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication and research. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000 members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For more information about CHEST and the journal CHEST, visit chestnet.org.

American College of Chest Physicians

Related Asthma Articles:

Insomnia prevalent in patients with asthmaA team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh has found that insomnia is highly prevalent in adults with asthma and is also associated with worse asthma control, depression and anxiety symptoms and other quality of life and health issues.

Turning off asthma attacksWorking with human immune cells in the laboratory, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have identified a critical cellular 'off' switch for the inflammatory immune response that contributes to lung-constricting asthma attacks.

Do asthma and COPD truly exist?Defining a patient's symptoms using the historical diagnostic labels of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an outdated approach to understanding an individual's condition, according to experts writing in the European Respiratory Journal today.

Understand Asthma & Breathing Problems. Stop fighting against asthma attacks and breathing difficulties! Say "Goodbye" to breathing problems! This book will help asthma sufferers to establish natural and wholesome breathing patterns and prevent asthma attacks. It will provide you with the information you need to tame your or your child's breathing difficulties naturally by improving the function of the respiratory system. It contains comprehensive instructions on the Breathing Normalization method based on the discovery by Dr. Buteyko in 1952 in Russia. Since then, this commonly called... View Details

The incidence of asthma is rising dramatically in the United States and across the globe. Asthma affects 17 million people in the U.S. and is the most common chronic childhood disease. If you or someone you love suffers from asthma, you know that there is no cure—however, with proper care, asthmatics can lead normal, active, and fulfilling lives. Now you can breathe easy with this plain-English guide, which clearly explains the prevention, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment of the disease.

Asthma For Dummies will help asthma sufferers and their loved ones get a strong handle on... View Details

Free yourself of allergies and asthma once and for all with Dr. Pescatore's breakthrough program

"" Dr. Fred Pescatore's The Allergy and Asthma Cure reveals a unique and revolutionary understanding of the underlying conditions of allergy and asthma-from food triggers to the environment to nutritional deficiencies. His integrative program of both alternative and traditional treatments can dramatically improve health and vitality, safely and soundly. This book will have a prominent place in my library and I highly recommend it! ""-Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S., author of the... View Details

This book challenges conventional wisdom about the causes and treatments of asthma. Could hard-to-treat asthma be triggered by a persistent infection? Dr. David Hahn presents the scientific evidence and compelling case histories that led him to his surprising conclusion. He describes the treatment protocol he has used successfully. Find out if your asthma might be cured once and for all instead of managed. View Details

Autism is an epidemic: It has spiked 1,500 percent in the last twenty years. ADHD, asthma and allergies have also skyrocketed over the same time period. One of these conditions now strikes one in every three children in America. But there is hope. Leading medical innovator Kenneth Bock, M.D., has helped change the lives of more than a thousand children, and in this important book, with a comprehensive program that targets all four of the 4-A disorders, he offers help to children everywhere. This is the book that finally puts hope within reach.

What Everyone Needs To Know About This Fresh Approach To Dealing With Asthma... The most brilliant minds in the fields of health, medicine and psychology have tried and failed to find the solution to Asthma. Now, a new approach based on going back to nature rather than man-made medicine is gaining ground throughout the world. This "fresh approach" was initially laughed at and thought to be a joke. But when people started to have incredible results with it the laughter stopped. Now more and more research is gradually being done on this new nutritional approach to dealing with this... View Details

This revolutionary book teaches readers how to take control of their asthma safely and effectively without any side effects. The approach encompasses the Buteyko Breathing Method as well as guidance on diet, sleep, physical activity, and other lifestyle changes that can provide a natural alternative to Asthma medications.

The author was a chronic asthmatic who applied the Buteyko Breathing Method to free himself from his asthma condition. In this book, he details the Buteyko Breathing Method and provides guidance on diet, sleep, physical activity, and other lifestyle changes that can... View Details

Breakthrough scientific information uncovers the real cause of asthma, allergies and lupus. It reveals the way to treat these conditions naturally, simply and at no cost -- initial steps towards asthma eradication.-- Astonishingly simple guidebook for the nation's 17 million asthmatics -- 14 million of them innocent children and the 50 million who suffer from allergies.-- Why Asthma, Allergies and Lupus are actually your body's way of alerting you to an urgent need for water... and how to recognize your body's true thirst signals.-- In-Depth Answers to your most frequently-asked... View Details

A comprehensive and fully accessible guide to understanding and managing asthma through yoga, encouraging sufferers away from exclusive reliance on drugs in favour of using the ancient wisdom of yoga to control the condition themselves through the powers of breathing and of the mind.

The number of asthma sufferers has risen sharply since the mid 1980s, with 10 million sufferers in the US and 3.7 million in the UK. Although many people are able to control their condition with drugs, it is still a serious condition- every six hours somebody dies from asthma in the UK.

Asthma Cure describes how I cured my own asthma and the asthma treatment plan I developed through observation. The intention is that other asthma sufferers will gain hope that they do not have to be destined for a life with asthma and seek out ways to cure it and be asthma free or even apply my own method to their own situation.I did this without asthma remedies and solved asthma naturally. There are natural medications available for solving asthma naturally and some are mentioned in this book. Become asthma free now with my own methodology or adapt it to your own circumstances and perhaps... View Details

Best Science Podcasts 2018

We have hand picked the best science podcasts for 2018. Sit back and enjoy new science podcasts updated daily from your favorite science news services and scientists.

Inspire To ActionWhat motivates us to take up a cause, follow a leader, or create change? This hour, TED speakers explore stories of inspirational leadership, and what makes some movements more successful than others. Guests include high school history teacher Diane Wolk-Rogers, writer and behavioral researcher Simon Sinek, 2016 Icelandic presidential candidate Halla TÃ³masdÃ³ttir, professor of leadership Jochen Menges, and writer and activist Naomi Klein.

#474 Appearance MattersThis week we talk about appearance, bodies, and body image. Why does what we look like affect our headspace so much? And how do we even begin to research a topic as personal and subjective as body image? To try and find out, we speak with some of the researchers at the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) at the University of the West of England in Bristol. Psychology Professor Phillippa Diedrichs walks us through body image research, what we know so far, and how we know what we know. Professor of Appearance and Health Psychology Diana Harcourt talks about visible...